Let me put it another way. If someone commits a crime and does "the time", do they deserve a second chance?

This is something as a society we still wrestle with, so it's understandable if the sports world does not always know what to do either.

Sometimes the crime is not a crime but we find it horribly offensive. Four seasons removed from leading the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl, quarterback Colin Kaepernick cannot find work, in large part due to the fact he was a vocal and sideline protester of the national anthem before NFL games last season. N.Y. Giants co-owner John Mara recently said, he has never received so much fan mail about an issue, than the anthem protests of last year.

This is the same league that in one high profile case, same owner, who continuously employed an admitted abuser of women on multiple occasions. He got a second (and third) chance from the Giants until the media pressure was too much and the team cut loose kicker Josh Brown.

Bob Stoops retired as Oklahoma football coach a few days ago.

Stoops repeatedly gave players second chances, including some who were violent toward women. In every instance, the players he gave second chances to were punished by either the legal system and/or Oklahoma. But many were still angry that Stoops would give young men, who physically harmed women, a second chance.

The second chance debate is currently centered around Oregon State pitcher Luke Heimlich. He was arguably the best pitcher in the country this year (11-1, 0.76 ERA) on the #1 team in the country. It turns out, he's also an admitted sex offender. That was not public knowledge until a report by The Oregonian 72 hours ago.

He was arguably the best pitcher in the country this year (11-1, 0.76 ERA) on the No. 1 team in the country. It turns out, he's also an admitted sex offender. That was not public knowledge until a report by The Oregonian 72 hours ago.

Once you say "sex offender", for many, the details don't matter much after that. The crime took place nearly six years ago. He was 15, she was a 6-year-old family member. Five years ago the matter was adjudicated. Heimlich had fulfilled every aspect of his treatment, rehabilitation and legal responsibility to annually register as a sex offender until two months ago, when he did not reregister in Oregon, in time.

While Oregon State has not acknowledged when they knew about Heimlich's past, the fact that they did not discipline him once the story broke, seems to indicate they did not find out about his past for the first time in the last few days. That would mean Oregon State at some point, knowingly decided to give Heimlich a second chance.

Some people are angry and disgusted by this. The nature of the crime combined with the belief that playing college athletics is a privilege not a right, is such that they believe Heimlich did not deserve that second chance.

Others, while acknowledging that the crime makes them uncomfortable, believe that everyone deserves a second chance, even a sex offender.

Heimlich released a short statement Friday night saying he did not want to be a distraction to the team and "I have respectfully asked to be relieved of my playing duties at this time." He also earlier in the release said, "I understand that many people now see me differently, but I hope I can eventually be judged for the person I am today."

Oregon State coaches and players came out after their Friday night win over Vanderbilt in the Super Regionals in complete support of Heimlich. Head coach Pat Casey going so far as to say, "He's a fine young man and for every second that he has been on this campus, on and off the field, he has been a first-class individual. Someone his family should be proud of, our community should be proud of and his team is proud of."

Needless to say the school is not the one standing in his way of playing for them again this year. Are you OK with that?

I am completely torn over this. On the one hand, I have zero tolerance with any kinds of violence/abuse by men toward women and children. If I was in a position of authority at Oregon State three or four years ago and knew of Heimlich's past, I would have shut down the recruiting process. He could get his second chance somewhere else.

So does that make me a hypocrite, if now more than five years later, after Heimlich did "his time" so to speak, if I was coming into a position of authority at Oregon State, if I said "while I would not have given him the second chance, I am not going to stand in the way of it just because what was private has now become public."

To some it will. To others it is seeing gray instead of only black and white. It is taking every "second chance" situation on a case-by-case basis.

The NFL did not give Ray Rice a second chance, not even a tryout, when advocates against domestic violence were pleading with the league after his absence for a year, that to blackball him was not furthering the cause they were trying to help. Even they were trying to get the NFL to acknowledge that everyone at some point deserves a second chance.

Maybe I'll get to that point one day. I'm not there now. In the matter of Luke Heimlich, I feel as if I'm halfway there. Which tears me up even more.

Now I don't know if that makes me wiser with age.

Or weaker.

David Moulton is a freelance Sunday columnist for the News Press. He is a talk show host for SiriusXM (College Sports Nation, Ch. 84 and Mad Dog Radio, Ch. 82). You can email him at: dmoulton@news-press.com